Yin and Yang: Synergy of Wastewater and Energy

Managing water and energy in silos

Challenges over water, food, and energy security crops up, as governments all over the globe deal with rapid urbanization and population growth. Each challenge encountered brings varying degrees of intensity and complexity.

The demands to attain economic growth put considerable stress on managing resources and have brought forth initiatives that have no long-term sustainability. The situation worsens with climate change that making the right interventions becomes a very daunting task.

Water, food, and energy are interdependently linked. Large volumes of water are used to produce energy. Energy is required to supply water to households. Energy is used to treat wastewater. Water and energy produce crops. Crops can be tapped to produce biofuel as an alternative energy source.

This obvious linkage should open up possible cooperation among the involved sectors. However, most governments still push interventions that only focus on a single sector with unmaximized outcomes. A holistic approach is necessary to wastewater management to spread the benefits across water and energy sectors.